The United States hit a milestone this Friday by administering more than 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, more than any other country in the world in absolute terms, while requests from other governments to share them were rejected.
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the US has administered a total of 101,128,005 doses as of this Friday.
This means that 35,000,159 Americans are fully vaccinated, or 10.5% of the population. In addition, a total of 65,965,305 Americans have received at least one dose of some of the approved covid serums.
Currently, in the country that began the vaccination campaign on Dec. 14, there are three vaccines approved for emergency use: those from Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson, the first two of which require two doses several weeks apart . a single dose.
ON JULY 4, “VIRUS INDEPENDENCE”
Biden yesterday ordered the states of the country to ensure that all adults can arrange to be vaccinated when May arrives, with the goal of the US celebrating its “independence from the virus” before the July 4th holiday.
Next Friday’s milestone does not mean the president’s promise that in his first 100 days in office, 100 million doses of the vaccine will be administered.
Since Biden arrived at the White House on Jan. 20, more than 81.6 million doses have been delivered, according to an NBC News counter.
Despite the acceleration of the vaccination campaign, the US government said today that it is rejecting requests from other countries to share vaccines against Covid-19.
“There are 1,400 people still dying in this country every day, and we need to focus on that. Right now there are requests from all over the world, of course from several countries that have requested doses from the US and we haven’t foreseen anyone. it’s not about Europe, it’s about our focus and our priority, ”said White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki at her daily press conference.
THE US DOES NOT WANT TO SHARE VACCINES
Psaki was asked why the US is storing tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine when it has not yet been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the US regulator in charge. To give the green light to Covid serums, although it has been for other countries.
The situation has raised concerns in places where they are struggling to get enough vaccines for their populations, especially in the European Union (EU).
In this regard, the spokeswoman indicated that the US wants to ensure that it has “maximum flexibility” when it comes to distributing vaccines.
“We want to make sure that we have maximum flexibility, that we are oversupplied and prepared, and that we have the ability to provide vaccines – whatever is most effective – to the American public,” he said.
Still, he pointed out that while US companies such as Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are contractually obligated to deliver their doses to the US government, they are free to enter into agreements with other countries.
In response to another question as to whether Biden feels a moral obligation to deliver vaccines elsewhere, the spokeswoman said he aims to get the US out of the health crisis.
“He wants, as the leader of this country, to have maximum flexibility,” Psaki said, adding that Washington wants to be a “collaborator and cooperator” with the international community at the same time.
BIDEN WANTS TO SELL HIS RESULTS
Parallel to the acceleration of the vaccination campaign in the US, Biden has embarked on a ‘marketing’ exercise of his management of the pandemic, and this Friday he participated in an event in the rose garden of the presidential mansion to celebrate its approval. week of the stimulus plan to mitigate the impact of the health crisis on the economy.
Flanked by the vice president, Kamala Harris, and the Democratic leaders of Congress, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer, the president wanted to send the message to the Americans that help is available.
“When (First Lady) Jill and I moved into this beautiful building behind you, I promised the American people – I suppose this is an overused phrase by now – that help was on the way, but today, with the Plan of American Rescue (as the stimulus package is known), which I have signed into law, I have followed, ”Biden recalled.
“For the first time in a long time,” he continued, “this law puts the workers of this nation first. It’s not an exaggeration, it’s a fact. ‘
Despite his efforts to instill hope and optimism among citizens, the president warned that the pandemic is not over: “We are not ready yet, conditions may change, scientists have warned of new mutations of the virus,” he noted. .
According to data from Johns Hopkins University, the United States is the country in the world most affected by Covid-19, with more than 29 million infections and more than 531,000 deaths.